Zimbabwe Foreign Minister blasts team for tarnishing country’s image

Zimbabwe Foreign Minister Sibusiso Moyo, the man who announced the country’s new dawn on 15 November, has blasted the team of Tendai Biti, Dewa Mavhinga and Peter Godwin that testified before the United States Foreign Relations Committee for tarnishing the country’s image.

The retired major general is part of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s cabinet that was sworn in on 4 December.

He said it was ironic that fellow Zimbabweans were performing the charade only hours after he met US ambassador to Zimbabwe Harry Thomas to outline how the two nations could re-engage.

“Zimbabwe’s new government has been in office for shorter than two weeks. It is staggering that these gentlemen should have expected the deeds of 37 years to be corrected and livelihoods improved in such a short time,” he said according to the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.

“As if that myopia was not enough, the trio and others requested their American hosts for more of the same policies which have inflicted suffering on our people. How could any serious putative future leader of our country ask that ZIDERA remains in place?

“All of us should be working to revive our economy, till our fertile soil and trade more competitively so that we all realise better health delivery, education and improved welfare in general.

“There is no need to invite outside referees whose own fate has no relationship to ours. Let us advance our political goals without inviting punitive measures by strangers on our fellow citizens.

“Any leadership changes can therefore be gotten at the ballot box. There is no need to go abroad and seek assistance to further harm one’s own country. All Zimbabweans are free to canvas for political fortunes of their choice. Let us do this without reversing the promise of our new dawn. All nations of goodwill are invited to assist us to regain our position in the family of nations, not as beggars but, as a prospering and vibrant democracy,” he said.

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The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.